heinze



zg g Patented Apr. 25, 1893.

J. O. HEINZE Jr. OUT-OUT AND 011mm PROTECTOR.

THE NORRIS PETERS co, PnoTo-u'ma. wxsmumom u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. I-IEINZE, JR, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE IIEINZE ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CUT-OUT AND CIRCUIT-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,308, dated April 25, 1893. Application filed October 15, 1892. Serial No. 449,024- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: an end view. Fig. 4is a transverse sectional Be it known that I, JOHN O. HEINZE, Jr., a view of a modification.

citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, A generic form of my invention is shown in in the county of Essex and State of Massa- Fig. 1, in which it is a base of refractory in- 5 chusetts, have invented certain new and usesulating material, as for instance, porcelain. fulImprovementsinCnt-Outsand Circuit-Pro- I- H. are the terminals of an electric circuit. tectors; and I do hereby declare the following I is a fuse wire spanning the circuit termito be a full, clear, and exact description of the nals. D is a block of refractory insulating invention, such as will enable others skilled in material which rests upon the fuse wire and I0 the art to which it appertains to make and use which will, the moment the fuse is destroyed the same, reference being had to the accomsettle down upon the base and by filling the panying drawings, and to the letters of refspace previously occupied by the fuse wire erence marked thereon, which form a part of and thereby closing the path of the arc with this specification. a block of insulating material, extinguishing 15 My invention relates to improvements in the are, which would usually be formed upon cut-outs and circuit protectors. the destruction of the fuse.

In the construction of electric circuits for The remaining figures illustrate a specific the operation of various kinds of electrical embodiment of the invention which will now instruments or forms of translating apparatus be described.

20 it often happens that actual working condi- As shown in Figs.2 and 3 the swinging arm tions allow the possibility of a great excess C is hinged to a post B and said arm 0 carof current at points where an excess might ries a wedge shaped block, D, of refractory work damage and destruction. The simplest insulating material. E E are a pair of wedge means of preventing accidents of this sort shaped posts secured to or formed integral 7 5 comprise a weak spot, commonly known as a with the base A, and placed under the block fuse wire, which in the presence of a current D at such distance apart that when the arm which will be dangerous to the apparatus will C is in its lowest position the block D carried be melted and the circuit thereby opened. thereby will fit in between and fill the open- Where the abnormal current is of high tening between the posts E E. A spring F is 30 sion it frequently happens that an arc will be connected to the lever C and base A for the formed acrosstheopeninginthe circuit caused purpose of pulling the lever C downward by the blowing of the fuse and it is to the exwhen the same is free to move, thus enatinguishment of this are that a principal feabling the apparatusto be applied in any positure of the present invention relates, as will tion. G H are a pair of metallic binding 35 more fully and at large appear from the folposts arranged on opposite sides of the posts lowing description. Furthermore, the pro- E E. A fuse wire I is secured at its ends in tective apparatus includes means for groundterminal posts G H and also partly sustained ing the main circuit across an air space so by passing across the posts E E, the circuit that in case the excess of current comes from wires being connected to the posts G and II 40 lightning the circuit will begrounded and the and the circuit completed through the fusecurrent carried to earth 'withoutinjury to any wire I. Before inserting the fuse-wire the of the apparatus. This provision of courseis lever C is raised, the fuse-wire is then inalso available with any current of sufiicient serted and the insulating block D carried by intensity to cross the air space. said lever is then allowed to rest upon the 45 In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 fuse-wire where it is sustained until said wire 5 is a perspective view of a generic embodiis destroyed, when the block D is, by the acment of my invention. Fig. 2is a side eletion of the spring F drawn down between the vation of my cut-out and circuit protector, posts E E. In case the destructive current showing the same in place upon a wall and is of such intensity as to form an are between 50 with part of the cover removed. Fig. 3is the posts E E the descent of the blockD will too increase its length and decrease its area to a very large extent, thereby in most instances extinguishing the arc and preventing any damage.

In order to provide for all contingencies the outer end, 0 of the lever O is serrated, and a serrated metallic post J is provided upon the base A. The postJ is curved in a line radial to the path of the arm 0 so that the serrations upon the end of said arm will always be in the same relation to the serrations or teeth on the post J, said distance being such as will allow the passage of a high tension current between the points of serrations when a predetermined pressure has been reached. The post G and the serrated outer end 0' are connected by conductor7. The serrated post J is connected to the ground in any suitable manner as by conductor 4.

While in many instances I find it sufficient to employ a single block D and a pair of insulating posts E E, occasions will arise where the plurality of such devices might be necessary to accomplish the results desired. A duplicate arrangement is indicated in Fig. 4 and it will be obvious thata greater number of arc rupturing devices or extinguishers might be employed where the situation appeared to require them.

My device is particularly available as a lightning arrester for the reason that the serrated surfaces always occupy the same relation and are always ready for action, so that whether it be lightning or an excessive current on the line wire the instant the fuse is blown or before that in the case of a very small current of high intensity the escape must be to ground and it will be particularly noted that no movement of any kind or coming togetherof connected surfaces is required to happen before this relief is afforded. Therefore there can be no failure to act and a pirticularly desirable apparatus is the resu Various minor modifications and changes in the details of construction will occur to one skilled in the art but they may be made without departing from the spirit or nature of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A fusible cut-out for electric circuits, comprising circuit terminals, af use wire spanning said terminals, and sustained by refractory insulating material; a movable block of refractory material normally sustained by the fuse and adapted when released by the destruction of the fuse to substantially close the space previously spanned by the fuse and thereby increase the distance to be traversed by an are between the terminals.

2. A fusible cut-out for electric circuits, comprising circuit terminals, a fuse wire spanning the same; a pair of posts of refractory insulating material upon which the fuse wire is supported, a pivoted spring actuated block, also of refractory insulating material and formed to fill a space or spaces between the posts, said block being normally sustained by the fuse-Wire.

3. A fusible cut-out for electric circuits comprising circuit terminals, a fuse-wire spanning the same, two or more pairs of posts of refractory insulating material upon which the fuse-wire is supported; pivoted spring actuated blocks, one for each pair of posts, arranged and adapted to be normally sustained upon the fuse wire and to enter and fill spaces between the posts when said fusewire is destroyed.

4. A fusible cut-out for electric circuits, comprising circuit terminals; posts of refractory insulating material between said termi nals, said posts supporting the fuse-wire; a pivoted spring actuated block, also of refractory insulating material, said block normally sustained upon the fuse wire and adapted upon the destruction of said fuse-wire to enter and fill a space or spaces between the posts whereby the area of an are established between the posts is diminished and its length increased, the same being thereby extinguished.

5. A fusible cut-out and protecting device for electric circuits comprisingcircuit terminals; a f use-wire spanning said terminals and sustained by refractory insulating material; a movable block of refractory material normally sustained by the fuse and adapted when released by the destruction of the fuse to close a space or spaces previously spanned thereby; a conductor carried by the movable block and connections therefrom to one of the circuit terminals, and agrounded metallic connection located in juxtaposition to the free end of the conductor carried bythe movable block.

6. A fusible cut-out and protecting device for electric circuits comprising circuit terminals and a fuse-wire spanning said terminals, posts of refractory insulating material over which the wire passes and between which it is sustained; a pivoted spring actuated lever provided with an arc-extinguishing block of refractory insulating material, normally sustained upon the fuse and adapted upon the destruction of the fuse to close the space or spaces between its insulated supporting posts; a radial serrated post at the desired distance from the path of the end of the lever; electrical connections from the entering circuit terminal to the extremity of the pivoted lever and a ground connection from the radial serrated post whereby a current of abnormal potential would be gounded by the formation of an are between the extremity of the lever and the serrated post.

In testimony whereof Iaffix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN O. HEINZE, JR.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN J ANNUS, F. D. BLAOKISTONE. 

